Chemistry Picnic
Brats, Burgers, and Big Woods!

Hey, it’s time to think about spring, barbecue, waterfalls, hiking, potato salad, frisbee, and brats!  The chemistry picnic will be on Friday afternoon, May 18, at Nerstrand Big Woods State Park (the usual spot).  The picnic will start about 4:15 p.m.  Please sign up for the picnic by Friday, May 11, and include your student ID#, your grilling preference (carnivore or herbivore), and whether or not you need transportation.  The sign-up sheet is posted on the window of the Mudd 169 computer room.  The chemistry faculty and staff will also supply food and treats, and the RING is in charge of entertainment.  A bus is scheduled to leave from First Street, near the Nevada Street intersection, at 3:45 p.m. to transport any of you who don’t want to drive or prefer to save fossil fuels using communal transportation.  The bus will return to campus somewhere between 7:30 and 8:00 p.m.  We especially welcome new chemistry majors!

Seminar Announcement

Friday, May 4, 2012
3:30 p.m.
Olin 04

Sarah Trimpin
Wayne State University

New Methods for Ionization in Mass Spectrometry and Applications

A motivation of our research is to make inroads in the daunting task of chemical analysis related to both complexity and insolubility.  We recently introduced a new mass spectrometric method applicable to proteins which uses laser ablation of a matrix-analyte mixture similar to atmospheric pressure matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization but produces mass spectra nearly identical to electrospray ionization (ESI).  This new technique called laserspray ionization (LSI) has advantages of speed of analysis, high spatial resolution for imaging, mass range extension, and improved fragmentation common with multiply charged ions, even in vacuum.  Crucial for the production of highly charged ions are desolvation conditions to remove matrix from charged matrix/analyte clusters. Important factors include thermal energy, vacuum assistance, collisions with gases and surfaces, as well as the sample preparation including the pH and solvent composition.  We show that LSI and ESI produce ions of similar structures as determined by ion mobility spectrometry-mass spectrometry (SYNAPT G2).  This new method of ion formation is also applicable to solutions allowing us to interface this method with a NanoAcquity UPLC for separation prior to high sensitivity mass analysis of, e.g., drugs and protein digests. LSI interfaced with mass spectrometers having electron transfer dissociation capabilities produce nearly complete backbone fragmentation.  Applications include tissue imaging and characterization of fragile ganglioside lipids and neuropeptides from mouse brain tissue.

Journal Club Meets This Week

Journal Club meets this Thursday at noon in Mudd 171 to have lunch and discuss a paper relating to this week’s seminar.  Go to the following for information about what to read beforehand:  http://apps.carleton.edu/curricular/chem/events/?category=171005&no_search=1.

Interested in teaching?

Southern Teachers Agency has begun to receive chemistry and physical science job listings from schools for the 2012-13 school year.  These jobs range from physical science at the middle-school level through high school AP chemistry.  It is common for science teachers to teach more than one kind of science, so some of these positions will require a chemistry teacher to lead sections of biology, physics, or another science.  Click here to view current science teaching jobs.

Requirements:  For most of these chemistry teaching jobs, a bachelor’s degree with a major in chemistry (or at the very least a chemistry minor) is essential, but teacher certification is not.  A degree in science education is highly desirable, as is a master’s degree in chemistry.  Candidates should have a GPA of 3.0 or higher.  Some of these positions require prior teaching experience.  Application process:  Interested candidates should apply to Southern Teachers Agency.  The process consists of completing an STA application, sending a credentials file, and having a telephone interview.  For more information, visit www.SouthernTeachers.com.

Ice Cream!

Do you want delicious ice cream?  Of course you do!!!  Well that’s convenient because the Ring is hosting an ice cream social this Friday, May 4, after seminar in Olin 04.  There will be lots of ice cream and toppings.  We hope you all will come and we want to offer a special welcome to the new majors.

See you there,
The Ring